As the most active group of people in society, youngsters can easily get in touch with the modernizing world. They are more sensitive to the tiniest changes in what is around them so they tend to be the first to adapt. Take the hottest technology — the computer for example. As it first came into our lives, who were the first and most interested in it? Youngsters! With their natural curiosity and a kind of special quality they managed to overcome difficulties. There are two groups of young people. The first group is formed by teenagers 13 – 19 years old. These people aren’t children any more, but they are not yet adults. They attend school and still live with their parents. It is quite simple to influence them. They are influenced by their peers and friends, but not so much by their parents. It’s typical for teenagers to revolt against anything their parents tell them to do. We can say that puberty is a difficult life stage. Youngsters only want to find their place in society. They want to form their personality and find their own style. They like to experiment with their image. They experiment with their clothes very often. There are lots of reasons for it; for example, they want to fit in with their friends and imitate them. They usually become members of different groups of young people, which have their own rules and their members have to obey them. For such a group it’s typical for their members to be dressed in one style, for example, punk or rock style (they wear torn jeans; they can have tattoos or piercing, or an extraordinary hairstyle). They are members of these groups, because they want to belong somewhere, and friendship is very important for them at this age. Teenagers are often seen as rebels who have problems at home. They argue with their parents. They see their parents as too strict. Their parents seem not to understand them. Then they look for support among their peers who are often not mature enough to give them the right piece of advice. On the contrary, they often help them get into more trouble by offering them drugs or alcohol. That’s the reason why parents should try to talk with their children about everything. They should obtain their confidence, and they should show understanding for them if they want to protect their children.
Young people between 20-30 are a bit different. These people can be more responsible, and most of them have already found their place in society. They have managed to graduate from school; they have started earning money and have become independent. They live alone, they study or have a job, and they want to enjoy their life. On the other hand, they have started to become more aware of social problems, global problems, financial problems, etc.
Life is becoming a challenge for them. Nowadays young people have a lot of opportunities. They are young, and they can do everything they want if they try hard enough. It’s important for them to set the right goals. They can work and study, travel, visit foreign countries and get new experiences. It’s a big advantage to be young. On the other hand, there are also some disadvantages. Older people regard young people as naive, inexperienced, and impatient whereas older people are considered sophisticated, mature, and have much more experience. Young people are often seen as cheeky, ill-mannered, foolish and not knowing how to behave.
Answer the questions:
- Give the advantages and disadvantages of being young today.
- What is the generation gap? How do you cope with that?
- What would you like to change in your life?
- Can you think of famous teenagers that are role models?
Young-people-and-their-world.pdf